Did you send a support req to MS regarding the XP problem?
I've experienced similar issues with XP; Try the info below (it's a
copy/paste of the solution I utilized for a problem that sounds just like
yours; if not a match, maybe try to explain in greater detail?). I haven't
experienced the problem with Vista, but I do constantly get a rather amusing
message...some updates don't install because they are 'not needed'.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The support at Microsoft finally got back to me about the problem I’m having
with 100% cpu utilization and consequent computer freeze/slowdown caused by
svchost. Thought I’d pass the info along in case you run into the same
problems (which I did also find an answer to online---but only after I had
already gotten it from MS)…going by what the tech support person said, as
well as some friends noticing theirs doing the same thing, this seems to be a
pretty common problem. Info follows:
“This error is most likely caused by a conflict between an old Windows
Update Agent and Microsoft Update Installation Engine. Recently, we released
a new WUC client (Windows Update Agent 3.0), which addresses system
performance optimization issues. Based on the current status, I suggest we
try the following steps to troubleshoot the issue.
Step 1: Manually download and install the new Windows Update Agent 3.0
=============================================
1. Visit the following link and download Windows Update Agent 3.0 to the
Desktop:
http://download.windowsupdate.com/v7/windowsupdate/redist/standalone/WindowsUpdateAgent30-x86.exe
2. Refer to the Desktop and double-click the downloaded file to install it.
After installing Windows Update Agent 3.0, please check the issue again. If
the issue persists, we can try the next step.
Step 2: Download and install a hot fix for this issue.
================================
1. Visit the following link and download the hot fix to the Desktop:
Update for Windows XP (KB927891)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...CD-A0B9-497E-8A89-404327772E5A&displaylang=en
2. Refer to the Desktop and double-click the downloaded file to install it.
For more information related to this issue, please refer to the following
Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:
FIX: When you run Windows Update to scan for updates that use Windows
Installer, including Office updates, CPU utilization may reach 100 percent
for prolonged periods
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916089/en-us
You receive an access violation when you try to install an update from
Windows Update after you apply hotfix package 916089
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927891
WSUS (Windows Server Update Services) Team Blog
http://blogs.technet.com/wsus/archive/2007/04/28/update-on.aspxâ€
Though even after those, these Comps don’t zing along like they used to. I
formatted mine and another Friday and Saturday (which kind of hinted to it
being a Microsoft problem, because you could tell a real difference in
performance between the second round of updates and the third) before I
received a response from tech support…not running any faster than the others.
Never did find any viruses, though it behaved like one:
1) slows down computer/freezes it up…sometimes couldn’t even get taskmgr
up
2) disables updates/ failed installations; update checker just runs and
runs...